NO, 9 



MARINE INVERTEBRATES, ALASKA — MacGINITIE 



55 



a. A team of seven dogs was hitched to the slack dredge Hne at b, 

 then driven ahead, drawing the dredge along the bottom and finally 

 up to the opening at b, where the specimens collected were taken out 

 and transferred to 5-gallon thermos jars. This transfer had to be made 

 quickly to prevent the animals from freezing solid in the open air, the 

 temperature of which was usually —25° to —30° F. The tent (4) 

 with a stove was necessary to warm the hands occasionally to pre- 



Fig. 3. — Dredging by dog team, i, Backhaul line releasing dredge in case of 

 fouling. 2, Dredge line and reel. 3, Cod line and reel. 4, Tent with stove for 

 making coffee and warming hands. 5, Eskimo dropping weight for next Eskimo 

 (6) to hook. 7, Eskimo digging hole. 8, Dredge dropped ready for towing. 

 9, Dredge line. 10, Dog sled and nine dogs. 11, Old ice. 12, New ice 4 or more 

 inches thick, depending on age. 13, Ocean bottom, a and b. Large holes 345 feet 

 apart; missing portion represents 240 feet. 



vent them from freezing. After the dredge was emptied it was hauled 

 back from & to a by means of the stern line (/), and the procedure 

 was then repeated. In making each haul an attempt was made to 

 swing the dredge sufficiently far to one side or the other to prevent its 

 dragging along a previous course. 



This was a laborious method but it accomplished the purpose. 

 Much time was consumed by the trip out to a suitable site and the 

 return trip to the laboratory. Travel in the Arctic at 30° below zero 

 is invigorating, but working with gear and marine animals at such a 

 temperature while the hands are wet with ocean water is extremely 

 difficult and even painful. Some of the gear could be hauled by dog 

 team; the remainder had to be carried. The dog team was hired from 

 Eskimos in the village of Barrow, and arrangements had to be made 

 the preceding day to have the team at the laboratory the morning 

 of the day the dredging was to be done. Despite the difficulty of this 

 method of collecting, good results were obtained, as can be seen from 

 the Ust of animals collected on February 18, 1950, at a depth of 162 

 feet, 3.2 miles from shore. 



